The Phoenix Princess
by Screaming Kittycat
Summary: A lost little baby was found by Prince Ozai in an abandoned shack, he took her home and let his wife raise her. She grew into a strong fire bender who suffered through much, 3 years after Zuko was banished she was reunited with him at sea, Zuko was determined to keep her by his side. Follow the story of Naomi and her beloved Zuko This is a Zuko/Oc romance (Naomi is a Chinese name)
1. Chapter 1

Prince Ozai thought he was blessed as he looked upon the face of a small girl, you may be thinking, why would he feel blessed by looking at a child? Well I shall tell you, this girl was no ordinary girl, the blue flames that surrounded a two year old girl would tell you that but it was not just the fire that showed she was special, it was the pointed ears and the blue flame wings that sprouted from her back that showed she was special. "My lord what do we do?" a soldier asked the powerful man beside him

Ozai looked at the small child with a smirk, already formulating a plan to use this powerful being to rule the world "I will take her home and raise her as my own" Ozai dropped down to one knee and brought the small child into his arms, the flames disappeared but the pointed ears remain, only shortened slightly. Her eyes opened and stared at the prince, almost as if she was trying to figure out if he would hurt her or not. The prince did not know how to respond to the child, he did not respond well to his own children so he didn't know what to do, lucky for him the small girl smiled and closed her eyes so she could fall back asleep. "Prepare my ride, I am returning to the palace" he stood from the floor and headed out of the abandoned house, he was originally asked by his father to investigate the strange lights that were showing up every night, lucky for him he had found the reason and he had found a new weapon to wipe out the other nations _"She must be powerful…she may even be a child of the spirit world"_ he chuckled silently to himself as he looked at the sleeping child in his arms _"I will become Fire lord and she will be the one to help me rule the world"_ of course thinking that a child of three could accomplish such a feat is pretty farfetched and kind of stupid but this girl…you could feel the raw power and fire within her just by being near her

"Prince Ozai your ride is ready, shall I take the child with me?" the guard beside the prince asked

"No I shall take the child, my wife shall be pleased if I am the one to bring her in" he would do anything to please his wife, within reason of course

Princess Ursa was playing with her two children, Zuko and Azula when her husband stepped in "Ozai your home early, you aren't due to come home until next week"

"I had a change of plans" it was then that Ursa saw a bundle in her husband's arms, she stood from the floor and glided over to her husband to inspect the small bundle herself only to gasp at what is was

"Is that a…is that a child?" Ozai smirked and passed the small child into his wives arms

"I found her in the abandoned house I was sent to look at" Ozai had known that he had his wife hooked by the way she was looking at the child, a small but sweet smile that was only directed at the child in her arms

The child stirred and looked up at Ursa with the same curious look she gave Ozai, her deep crimson eyes staring into Ursa's own pale yellow ones. The small girl smiled and giggled happily, her small hand grabbing the princesses much larger one "What are you going to do with her?" Ursa asked but she didn't take her eyes off of the girl

"I was thinking of raising her" was the prince's reply, Ursa laughed softly, the small child yawned and fell back asleep

"My love you don't raise our own children" Ozai shook his head

"Then why don't you raise her" Ursa walked back over to her other two children, Azula went over to her toys and Zuko had fallen asleep. She placed the little girl beside Zuko and moved back over to her husband so they could both look at the child and talk.

"I was going to do that the minute I saw her Ozai, she is an orphan and orphans deserve a family"

"Then if she is to be our child then what should her name be my dearest" Ursa smiled when she saw the two sleeping children open their eyes and look at each other

"We shall name her Naomi, for she is more beautiful than even the sun goddess herself"

Zuko opened his small eyes and looked at the strange girl beside him, the girl had also opened her eyes to look at him, he didn't know why but he liked the colour of her eyes…after all he always loved that colour since its everywhere so he grew rather fond of it. There was something else that he couldn't quite place but he liked the feeling, the girl giggled and smiled at him like she did with his mother, without thinking Zuko brought his hand out and touched the girls who brought hers out aswell. As soon as their hands touched two different sets of flames erupted from the two small kids, one blue and the other orange

"Zuko!Naomi!" Ursa raced to the two kids but stopped in shock at what she was seeing, Ozai had also stood still and stared at the two children in shock. The two separate flames began to intertwine with each other to make a vibrant green flame

The two children didn't understand the flames surrounding them, or even the connection of their hearts that was slowly beginning to form, all they knew is that they liked the warmth the flames emanated, it made them both sleepy. Zuko and Naomi closed their eyes and fell back asleep, the flames disappearing. "What in spirits name was that?"

"I don't know" Ozai truly didn't know but on the inside he was smirking, for a child of two she could bring out her flames and bring out his own sons, she is truly an amazing child "Why don't we let them go to sleep" Ursa nodded to her husband and followed him out, looking back at her now three sleeping children with a small smile.


	2. Chapter 2

Five years have passed since Naomi was found and brought into the royal family, people praised Ozai for his good will and rejoiced that this child was given a family. Fire lord Azulon had allowed the child into his family but he wasn't happy with it, he did not want a child who was not of royal birth in his family but he said nothing after his son Iroh had convinced him. Iroh had loved the child as soon as he saw her, she was a sweet girl who had begun to blossom into a beautiful young woman with skills with fire that could rival Azula's

"Well well if it isn't the pointy eared orphan child" Naomi sighed and turned to her enemy, and no before you come to any conclusions it is not Azula, Ty lee or even Mai. No these girls are called The Machi twins, Ai Machi was the oldest by two seconds and of course Aoi was the youngest of the two

Naomi sighed and turned to the twins "Hello Ai, Aoi what is it that you desire"

"Oh nothing, we were just walking by when we spotted you and thought we would give you the good news" Ai spoke, her sister smirking behind her

"And what is that might I ask?" Naomi said kindly

"My father is asking your _father_ if I can be betrothed to prince Zuko" Naomi felt anger but she hid it behind a serene smile, Naomi had a little crush on Zuko for quite a while now but she had endeavoured to keep it a secret, of course that didn't work and now these annoying twins knew and tortured her about it.

"Oh how wonderful I am glad for you Ai"

"Yes you should be, come Aoi lets head to our room I wish to rest" Aoi giggled with her sister as they left

Naomi let out a breath and sat down on the grass "You should have retaliated" Naomi looked over to her adopted sister

"Azula? You saw the whole thing?" the raven asked in shock

"Yes and I am quite disappointed sister" the princess sauntered over and sat beside her older sister "You shouldn't be so kind to them" Azula did not like the twins since they acted as if they were of higher status than the young princess

"But mother always taught us to be kind" Azula snorted

"Yes but she never said to be kind to people who bully you, they won't shut up if you don't retaliate" Azula stood and looked down at Naomi "You are a princess and the only other person who can bend blue fire for spirits sake so why don't you show them your power and get them to shut up" with that Azula turned away and headed off to god knows where

Naomi watched as her sister left, she was right when she said that she should stand up for herself but she really couldn't do it. "Naomi darling come inside" princess Ursa called out from the door

"Alright" Naomi called back as she stood from her spot on the grass and ran inside "What is it mother?"

"Your father requests you in the throne room" Naomi nodded and followed her mother. Ursa opened the door to the throne room and walked inside, they both sat in line, Ursa beside her husband and Naomi between Zuko and Azula. All bowed and looked at fire lord Azulon

"Father why have you called my family?"

"I am wanting to see the progress your children have made in their fire bending" Ozai nodded and looked at his children

"Zuko" the young boy nodded to his father and stood from the floor, he walked into the centre and stood in a stance most common for beginning fire benders. His form and fire was perfect until he slipped and fell to the floor, Ozai and Azulon sighed and Azula laughed quietly to herself. Ursa and Naomi looked at Zuko's embarrassed face with concerned faces "Naomi" the crimson eyes female nodded to her father and headed over to where Zuko had performed, without any thought she showed her fire bending techniques perfectly "Azula" Azula simply stood from her spot on the floor and did her set perfectly aswell before sitting back down and looking at the fire lord

"Is that to your satisfaction?" Ozai stated bluntly

"Yes but your son needs to practice more" Ozai nodded and glanced at his son with a frown, the son in question looked away from his father and looked to Naomi when he felt her grab his hand and smile at him. "You may leave"

"Of course" the family bowed and left the room "Zuko I will be giving you extra bending practice so do not fail me again"

"Yes sir" Zuko said dejectedly, Ozai nodded and left without another word along with his wife

"Zuzu it was terrible when you fell over I was so worried" Azula teased

"Shut up Azula!" Zuko yelled angrily, all that did was make Azula laugh and head off to meet her friends

"Zuko" Naomi stepped forward and grabbed Zuko's arm to get his attention, he turned around to face her with a frown "Don't listen to Azula it was a mistake, I know how good you are at fire bending"

"Yeah but I'm not as good as you or Azula" he mumbled

"People get better at different paces, some slower than others but, I have a feeling that one day you will be a wonderful bender" Zuko blushed when he looked at Naomi's smiling face

"Thanks…Naomi"

"You're welcome" she smiled but then an idea popped into her head "Why don't we go to the cherry tree so you can practice!"

"That's a great idea come on!" he grabbed Naomi's hand and dragged her through the castle to the cherry tree, the tree was at the edge of the palace and secluded so it was the best place for some secret fire bending practice

"No Zuko bend your arm a little, your opponent can stop your attack if it's too straight" Zuko nodded at Naomi's words and bent his arm, he finish his set and turn back to Naomi proudly "That was great Zuko"

Zuko blushed "If only I could do it in front of others"

"It's all about confidence, if you're not confident in yourself then you will slip up"

"Easy for you to say you have been bending since you were two!"

"…yeah I suppose I have, but I only started true bending the same time you did" she didn't like talking about being a bending prodigy, people would either treat her with respect or call her a freak because they were jealous

"I don't see why you don't like talking about your bending, I think it's great how skilled you are" Naomi smiled slightly

"I dunno…"

"It's because of Ai and Aoi isn't it" she didn't reply "honestly Naomi don't listen to them, you're a princess so they have to listen to you"

"I'm not a real one though" she mumbled, it wasn't that hard to figure out since everyone talks about it. She gasped when Zuko grabbed her shoulders and stared at her intently

"You are a part of our family so don't you forget it! Mom wants you in this family and so do I, hey even Azula and father want you in this family so don't listen to those two" Naomi smiled and nodded "good"

"You know Ai's father is trying to convince our father to engage you to her" Zuko stepped back in shock

"Eww no! I don't like Ai she's a crazy stalker!" Naomi giggled "What it's true she creeps me out!"

"I know but it's not like you have a choice"

"I will too! I'll _make_ sure I don't marry her" Naomi smiled and put a hand on his shoulder

"Good for you Zuko! Now let's head inside its getting dark" Zuko nodded and followed his sister inside


	3. Chapter 3

Four years have passed and Naomi was now eleven years old, her uncle Iroh had left a few months ago for Ba Sing Se along with his son Lu Ten so that they could bring peace to the world by bringing down the wall and claiming the great city under the fire nation. Naomi sat with Zuko and their mother beside the small pond "Hey mother watch how Azula feeds the turtle ducks!" he grabbed a pebble and threw it at one of the turtle ducklings, the mother quacked at him and bit Zuko's finger

"Zuko!" Ursa replied in shock as she gently pulled the mother turtle duck away "Why would you do that!" she scolded

"Stupid turtle duck! Why did she bite me?"

"Because that's what mothers are like, when you mess with their babies" Ursa smiled pretended to bite Zuko "They will bite back" they all finished laughing and turned back to his children "Would you not do the same for your children?"

"I would!" Naomi cried from beside Zuko "I would hurt anyone who hurt my children"

"That's very good Naomi you have a wonderful heart" Naomi giggled "And what about you Zuko?"

"I'm not going to be a mother!" both Naomi and Ursa laughed at that "What it's true!"

"Zuko I meant that would you protect your children if they were hurt" Zuko puffed out his chest

"Yes I would and I would protect my wife aswell"

"Yeah but what would happen if your wife could protect herself" Naomi asked

"I would still protect her!" Zuko cried

"Well maybe your wife might need to protect you!" Naomi cried back

"I don't need protecting" the prince was frowning at Naomi

"Your wife might not need to be protected either"

"That doesn't mean I would not protect her, I protect you don't I? Even though I know you can protect yourself!"

"Yeah and I protect you too!"

"When?"

"When you almost got punched by the minister's son I protected you then" Zuko blushed and looked away

"You promised never to speak about that!" Ursa was smiled sweetly at her two children, they had grown up so well and both were beautiful

"I haven't"

"You just did!"

"Yes but mother won't tell anyone" Naomi looked to her mother "Will you mama?"

"Of course not, it will be our little secret" Naomi nodded and looked back to Zuko

"See?"

"…ok but you can't tell anyone else, not even Azula"

"I never tell Azula anything about you"

"Good" their fun time was interrupted by a guard who cleared their throat

"Excuse me your highnesses but I have some terrible news" Ursa frowned but allowed the man to continue "the battle at Ba Sing Se was lost along with your nephew prince Lu Ten" Ursa gasped in shock and the two children's eyes widened "We do not know the where a bouts of prince Iroh but the young princes body is being escorted back to the fire nation"

"Is that all?" Ursa said sadly

"Yes my lady"

"Thank you, you may go now" the soldier bowed to the royals and left without another word

"Mother are you ok?" Zuko asked softly

"Yes darling I am"

"Will uncle be ok?" Naomi asked sadly, she knew Lu Ten and uncle quite well, the death of her beloved cousin was painful

"He is saddened but he shall be ok once his heart heals"

"I don't think his heart will ever heal"

"Now Zuko don't say that, his heart will heal over time just as long as he remembers the love and memories they once shared with each other"

"Ok mother"

"Now why don't we head inside and see how everyone is doing" the two kids nodded and followed their mother in silence, holding hands to give each other support

It was only a week ago that their uncle had sent them a letter and a present from Ba Sing Se, and it's been two days since the news of their cousin's death. Lu Tens body was cremated by the fire shot from Fire Lord Azulon's own hands, the royal family was now kneeling before the fire lord "Father I must speak with you" Ozai asked after his father had spoken about Lu Ten

"Just tell me what you want, everyone else go" Ursa had left the room but the siblings all hid behind a curtain

"We shouldn't be spying" Naomi whispered

"Oh come on Naomi its fine" Naomi sighed but listened to Azula

"Father, you must have realised as I have that with Lu Ten gone, Iroh's bloodline has ended, after his son's death my brother abandoned the siege at Ba Sing Se, but I am here father and my children are alive" Azula was smirking but Zuko and Naomi had worried looks on their faces

"Say what it is that you want Ozai"

"Father, revoke Iroh's birth right, I am your humble servant to you and our nation, use me" Azulon leaned forward in silent anger

"You dare suggest I betray Iroh, my first born directly after the demise of his beloved son" the fire lords anger began to grow "I think Iroh has suffered enough, but you…your punishment has scarcely begun!" Zuko's eyes widened in fear, he didn't want to see what his grandfather would do with his father so he ran from the room with Naomi on his tail

He ran to his room and jumped on his bed "Zuko! Why did you run?"

"I didn't want to know what he would do to father" Naomi smiled and crawled next to Zuko

"I'm sure father will be fine" she reassured

The door swung open to reveal the sly face of Azula "Dads going to kill you" Azula sang evilly

"No he won't" Naomi defended

"Really he is" was her teasing reply

"Ha ha very funny Azula, nice try" she smirked and pushed away from the door

"Fine don't believe me" she walked up to the bed and looked at her two other siblings "I heard everything, grandfather said that dads punishment should fit his crime, 'you must know the pain of losing a first born son by sacrificing your own'" she spoke in a girly version of a man's voice

"Liar" Zuko snapped, Naomi sat and watched helplessly, she knew that Fire Lord Azulon would say something like that

"Fine don't believe me, I was only telling you for your own good" she smiled when an idea popped into her head "I know, you could find a nice earth kingdom family to adopt you"

"Stop it Azula" Naomi warned, of course the princess did not listen

"You're lying, dad would never do that to me" Zuko hissed out

"Your father would never do what to you? What is going on here?" the trio paused when they heard their mothers voice

"I don't know" Azula answered innocently but Ursa did not buy it, she marched up to her daughter and grabbed her hand

"It's time for a talk" she pulled her daughter out of the room and left the two other siblings alone, Zuko closed his eyes and began chanting that Azula always lies

"…Zuko?" Naomi whispered in worry, Zuko stopped chanting and turned to look at her with saddened eyes

"You don't think that father would do that do you?" he asked fearfully

"No dad would never do that he loves you, like you said Azula always lies" Zuko sighed but it didn't really help his fear

"Could you…could you stay in here for the night" Naomi smiled and nodded

"If it makes you feel better then of course I will" Zuko nodded and allowed a small smile to show "Lay down and I'll stay up until you fall asleep"

"No, you can go to sleep too" Naomi nodded and lay on the pillow beside Zuko "Goodnight Naomi"

"Goodnight Zuko" she sighed sleepily and closed her eyes, falling asleep shortly after. Zuko stayed awake and looked at her peaceful features, he never noticed how beautiful Naomi was, he always heard from the other fire nation kids and even some of the adults that she was beautiful but he never thought to think that way until now. It's not wrong to think of your sister in a romantic way was it? _"She's not related to me by blood so it's perfectly fine and besides I have heard father talking about betrothing her to me plenty of times so it doesn't matter"_ That was true, prince Ozai had wanted to betrothed Naomi to him to have more fire benders since they have been dwindling as of late _"But would Naomi feel the same way or does she think of me as a brother"_ he hated that errant thought so he removed it from his mind and focused on going to sleep, glad that the thoughts of his father killing him had left his mind.

Zuko felt a delicate hand wake him from his slumber, he opened his eyes and looked up to see who it was "Mom?"

"Listen Zuko, please my love listen to me" the prince sat up and looked at his mother with tired eyes, she pulled Zuko into a warm hug "Everything I've done I have done to protect you and Naomi" she gently pushed him away and looked at him with love but sadness "Remember this Zuko, no matter how things may seem to change, never forget who you are" she removed her hands and looked over at the sleeping form of Naomi "Please promise me that you will protect Naomi and keep that wonderful smile she has" Zuko nodded and watched as his mother kissed Naomi on the head "Goodnight my darling" she pulled the hood of her cloak over her head and left the room. Zuko, not thinking that something was wrong laid back down and fell asleep

The next morning Zuko sat up "Mom?" he looked around in confusion before remembering what his mother had said "Mom, Mom!" he jumped from his bed and ran out of the room, forgetting the sleeping Naomi. He ran into the corridor but stopped when he saw Azula "Where's mom?" he asked urgently

"No one knows, oh and last night grandpa passed away" Zuko narrowed his eyes in disgust

"Not funny Azula, you're sick" he pointed an accusing finger at his younger sister "and I want my knife back now" he stepped forward to grab his knife but Azula jumped away

"Who's going to make me? Mom" Zuko's eyes widened before narrowing, he snatched his knife away and ran out of the room and away from his smug sister, he ran through the castle until he found his father who was standing before the fountain

"Where is she?" he waited for his father's answer but he wished that he never asked when he heard what left his mouth


	4. Chapter 4

When Naomi woke up she was told what had happened, she felt that it was the worst way to found out that both your grandpa and mother was gone, to find out by a soldier who was gossiping to another soldier was terrible. She stood in front of the pond her mother loved with despair clouding her vision, she forgot that she was in the fire nation, she forgot that she was standing in front of a pond and she forgot who she was. She was surrounded by darkness and she could not escape "Naomi" she thought she heard her name but she wasn't sure "Naomi?" there it was again, where was it coming from? Who is calling her name "Naomi!" two hands against her shoulders had broken her trance, she looked into the worried yellow eyes of Zuko, the world came rushing back and her mother's disappearance came crashing down upon her like a boulder

"Z-Zuko?" tears immediately began to cascade down her cheeks, with a loud cry she wrapped her arms around the prince's shoulder and cried

"You heard?" the prince whispered, he felt Naomi nod

"I heard one of the soldiers talking" Zuko clenched his fists around Naomi's clothes, she shouldn't have found out that way

"I'm sorry you heard it that way, I should have been the one to tell you" he tightened his hold on the girl and nuzzled her neck

"But why…she was fine the night before so how did she disappear and…how did Grandpa die"

"I-I don't know Naomi" the girl finished crying and gently pulled away

"Is there going to be a ceremony?"

"Yes but only for Grandfather since father is too saddened by the loss of mother so he didn't want a funeral" she understood but she still wanted a ceremony

"Oh I see…well at least Grandfather is having one" Zuko sighed and grabbed Naomi's hand

"Come one, father wants us dressed and ready for tonight" Naomi nodded and silently followed him, Zuko already missed the sweet smile she always carried.

 _I know I promised to keep her smile mother but I don't think I can get her to at this time"_ he thought to himself, he really wanted to cry for the loss of his mother but he didn't want to show weakness in front of Naomi. He arrived at his room and said goodbye to the crimson eyed girl "I will see you later Naomi"

"Alright" she nodded and left without another word, Zuko sighed at her before walking into his room where a maid waited for him

The royal family were all dressed in formal clothes with dark red colours and black linings that replaced the usual yellow. Zuko entered the main hall and immediately spotted Naomi beside Azula and their father, Azula and Ozai had emotionless expression but you could clearly see the sadness on Naomi's face, she was always bad at hiding her emotions. He walked up beside her and took her hand, she looked at him but did not smile and neither did he. "If you could all be still I would like to begin the ceremony" the head Fire Sage spoke "We gather here today to say goodbye to our once great Fire Lord Azulon, a great and powerful man who ruled our land greatly, it's a time to mourn our loss and celebrate the achievements he has made" six other sages step forward, they chanted a prayer as three honoured soldiers lit Azulon's pyre on fire "As we lay him to rest we surround him in his nations glory so he may be with the Great Pheonix, and watch over us in the spirit world" people nodded in agreement "We lay our once great ruler to rest but on this day we bring forth another great ruler who will follow in his father's footsteps" Ozai stepped forward and walked over to the fire sage, he knelt down before him and allowed the sage to place the fire lord crown in his topknot "Prince Ozai now rise as the new Fire Lord" as he stood people cheered and clapped for their new king. Zuko looked over at Naomi and she looked back to him in shock, knowing that their uncle Iroh should have been Fire Lord

They family sat through many condolences and congratulation before being ushered to a room for a grand feast, it was almost midnight when the royal family could go to bed. Naomi decided to pay Zuko a visit, knowing full well that he had been bottling his emotions up for the whole day "Zuko?" she asked as she knocked on his door

"Go away" Zuko snapped, not caring who was at the door

"Zuko it's me Naomi, can I come in?"

Zuko was silent before answering "Come in" the raven pushed the door opened and walked inside, the prince was sitting on his bed in only a pair of pants "What are you doing here Naomi?" he asked softly

"I only wanted to see how you are"

"As you can see I am fine" Naomi sighed, she crawled onto the bed and sat in front of the prince

"I have known you since I was two Zuko so I know you are lying, please don't lie to me" the prince looked up and stared into Naomi's eyes

"I'm sorry I just…don't want you to see me cry" he could feel tears threatening to leave his eyes

"It's ok to cry Zuko I will not judge, allow me to comfort you as you have done for me" Without another thought Zuko jumped forward and wrapped his arms around Naomi,both of them hitting the bed. Naomi stayed still as Zuko cried, she didn't move for fear of Zuko realising he was crying and return to bottling up his emotions. She brought up a hand and began stroking the princes hair, glad that he had untied it and allowed it to flow to his shoulders "Shh it's ok Zuko"

"No it's not Naomi our mother is dead" his arms tightened around at the mention of his mother

"Dead but not forgotten, remember what mother had said to us when you asked if uncle would be ok" Zuko nodded "she said that his heart will heal over time just as long as he remembers the love and memories they once shared with each other"

"I don't think mine will"

"You will because I will always be here for you, I will be a shoulder for you to cry on and an ear for you to vent all your worries and troubles to" Zuko stopped crying and brought his head up to look into Naomi's crimson eyes, with determination he lowered his head towards hers and pressed his lips against her much softer and fuller ones. Naomi laid perfectly still in shock as she tried to comprehend what was happening, the boy she had liked for quite some time was kissing her of his own free will, when that sunk in she smiled and kissed him back. After a while the prince pulled away and looked at Naomi

"I'm sorry Naomi I just-" she silenced him with another kiss

"It's ok Zuko you don't have to explain"

"Alright" he pulled back to sit on the bed and allowed Naomi to do the same "I really shouldn't have kissed you" Naomi frowned and looked at him with confusion

"Why?" she asked fearfully

"I feel like I took advantage of you when your emotions are all jumbled and saddened" Naomi was silent for a moment before she spoke up

"I would have allowed you to kiss me even if all my emotions were jumbled or not because I" she blushed in embarrassment "Because I like you, Zuko"

"In what way do you like me?" he asked eagerly, wanting to know the answer

"I like you more than a friend"

"You- you don't see me as a brother"

"I have never seen you in that way Zuko" she blushed and looked away, missing the smirk of a boosted ego filled prince

"Well I never saw you as a sister Naomi" the raven haired girl snapped her head to face Zuko which gave him the perfect opportunity to kiss her, she gasped but sighed when she felt his hands wrap around her, her own hands going to his shoulders. They kissed for a little longer before she reluctantly pulled away "Whats wrong?"

"As much as I would love to continue kissing you we need to go to bed" Zuko sighed but nodded, Naomi went to leave but Zuko's hand stopped her

"Stay please, I know you did last night but I don't think I will be able to sleep well tonight without you here" Naomi blushed but nodded, she crawled over to the other side of the bed and pulled the covers over her, Zuko did the same and pulled Naomi to him "sorry i need you to be close to me" Naomi blushed even redder, Zuko's arms wrapped around Naomi and pulled her snugly against him, he blushed when he felt two small round things squish against his bare chest, it was then that he realised she was wearing her nightgown. He tried to push the naughty thoughts from his mind and focus on comforting the girl who clung to him "Go to sleep Naomi and perhaps you will feel better in the morning"

"You should listen to your own advice Zuko" the prince laughed at that

"I suppose you're right" he kissed the top of her head and closed his eyes "Goodnight Naomi"

"….night…Zuko" the girl mumbled as she slowly feel asleep, Zuko once again was watching Naomi's peaceful face

 _Please promise me that you will protect Naomi and keep that wonderful smile she has"_ Zuko tightened his hold around Naomi, he would protect her with his very life, that would be a promise that he would **_NEVER_** break "Never"


	5. Chapter 5

After the death of Ursa and Azulon everything changed, Ozai had become angrier and bossier than usual, Azula thought she could get away with anything and of course that was true since she was one of the Fire Lords favourite children. Zuko still smiled but he wasn't as happy as he used to be, he only smiled for his Uncle and his…sort of girlfriend, even after two years he never asked Naomi to be his, she wasn't his girlfriend because he hadn't talked to his father about it so they kept their relationship a secret. The girlfriend in question wasn't that different, she was still sweet and kind to everyone but she had taken more responsibilities since Ursa had died, being the oldest female in the royal family she was expected to do things that she may have not needed to do before. There were people who were angered by Azulon's decision to make Ozai Fire Lord and so a rebellion had been formed to put prince Iroh on the throne. "I say we should find this rebellion and crush them" Azula spoke to her two friends and older sister

"It would stop most problems for the army but we don't even know where their base is Azula" Naomi offered

"You just need to wait" Mai spoke from her spot on the floor "A rebel will come to the palace, all you need to do is find that person, interrogate him then kill the other rebels"

"That's great Mai!" Ty lee complimented

"I know"

"So Naomi" the girl in question turned to Azula "Both yours and Zuko's birthday is coming up soon isn't that a big deal since your both turning thirteen"

"It is more important for Zuko than me since it is his crowning" a crowning is a ceremony where a boy becomes a man, its Fire nation tradition that every boy must do this in order to be known as a man, it is also a time for the man to choose a girl who is also becoming a woman to be his bride or his father will chose it for him

"Of course it is, you may have the same birthday but you're still important!"

"Thanks Ty lee but I would rather celebrate his birthday then mine"

"Well too bad Naomi I would rather celebrate your birthday then my brothers"

"I kind of figured you would Azula"

"And what about you Mai?" the group turned to the quiet emotionless girl "Would you rather celebrate Zuko's or Naomi's birthday" Mai was silent "It must be hard since you love Zuko but Naomi is your friend" Mai scowled and turned away, knowing that Azula was trying to get a reaction out of her "Oh well I suppose she doesn't know" Azula sighed and shrugged, the princess knew how Naomi and Mai had a crush on Zuko and so she had always tried to get them to fight against each other, of course Mai never held grudges and didn't care if Naomi liked him or not and the only people that Naomi hated was the Machi twins

"Well your birthday is in a week so you should make up your mind" Azula stood from the floor of Naomi's room followed by her two friends "I'm heading to the bathing room, want to join Naomi"

"Thank you for the offer but I have a lesson with Uncle soon" Azula snorted and left, Naomi sighed and pushed herself up off the floor and over to her mirror. It was so long ago that she was a little orphan girl found in an abandoned house and now look at her, a princess. She sighed once again when she saw her pointed ears, no human has them but her so was she even human? Mother always told her that she was special and her ears made her beautiful but she never felt that way. Her father never allowed her to leave the palace, he always told her that it was because people would try to use her for her bending but she knew it was because she was a freak.

"Looking at yourself again Naomi?" the royal was about to turn around when two arms wrapped themselves around her waist and a chin rested itself on her shoulder "You are beautiful"

"Others may not think so"

"Well my opinion should be the only opinion that should matter to you, besides I have never heard anyone in the capital that has insulted your beauty beside Aoi and Ai" Naomi smiled and moved her head around to kiss the persons lips

"Thank you…Zuko"

"You're welcome" the prince moved away and grasped Naomi's hand, he gave her a smile and pulled her to their couch "So are you excited for your birthday?"

"I could say the same to you Zuko, it is your crowning"

"Yeah but your becoming a woman just like I am becoming a man so you should be excited about that" he grabbed one of her books and flicked through the pages

"I don't really care for my crowning, yours however is far more important" she smiled but suddenly remembered what could happen at the crowning "Zuko…?"

"What is it Naomi" Zuko placed the book back on the table and looked at Naomi with a frown

"You do know what happens at your crowning correct?" she asked

"Yes I do, I am crowned a man once I show them my prowess as a bender and a sword fighting master"

"You forget that you have to choose a bride or Fire Lord Ozai will chose one for you" Zuko froze and looked back at her

"And you think that father will not permit me to choose you" she nodded silently "Why would you think that, you have heard how my father was thinking of engaging us together"

"Yes but you have forgotten that two years ago Aoi and Ai's father had asked that Ai be married to you, her father is of both high statue and one of the richest men in the Fire nation" Zuko narrowed his eyes and stood from the couch

"So what? My father wouldn't force me to marry Ai because her father has large pockets how can you think so lowly of him" he moved away from her and over to the window, Naomi sighed and stood from the couch to follow the young prince, she stood beside him

"I'm sorry Zuko I just…I would be heartbroken if you were married to another girl" she looked up at his face only to turn away at the thought of him kissing Ai let alone married to her

Zuko saw her saddened face and immediately sprang into action, he moved closer to her side and pulled her to his body "I will never allow myself to marry anyone but you"

"Zuko we have been together for two years but you have said nothing to father, what happens if he has already made plans for your betrothal to Ai" she pushed herself away from the prince and over to her bed "I never want to see you with another girl beside you other than myself, I may sound selfish but tha-" just as she turned around to face Zuko she was interrupted by a pair of lips touching hers and a body pushing her down to her bed

"That will never happen" the princes lips touched hers once more, her familiar taste rushing over him, the rush of desire for this person surged through his entire body. His hands moved from the female's bed to the female's body, smirking when a soft sound left her lips, urging him on so that he may hear those sweet sounds once more

"Z-Zuko we shouldn't" Naomi breathed out upon deaf ears

"Why not, I will not take which you do not want me to take" he whispered into her ear as his hands trailed up her body to cup one of her breasts "But you must tell me, what am I allowed to take from you my lady?"

"I want…I want you but" Zuko sighed, knowing full well what it is she was trying to say, he kissed her soft lips once more and rolled off her body

"I understand, I cannot take you but I will when you are betrothed to me"

"How are you so sure that I will be betrothed to you?" Naomi asked as she rolled onto her side to look at the prince who looked back at her with a faint smile

"Because there is something that I have that no one may take away from me"

"Oh and what might that be"

"Hope, I have hope and faith that I will marry you one day and that we may rule the Fire nation together" he grabbed her hand and pulled her up from her bed "Now we have a lesson with Uncle and we're probably late" Naomi giggled but smiled

"Of course prince Zuko, shall you escort me to this lesson"

"But of course Princess Naomi I wouldn't have it any other way" they both laughed and linked arms with each other as they travelled to their uncles quarters, as they walked the prince was thinking how he would make sure that Naomi would feel that her birthday was important just as much as his was

It had been a week of planning and preparing for the crowning of both Prince Zuko and Princess Naomi, their birthday being on the same day since it was Zuko's birthday the day Fire Lord Ozai had found Naomi and had brought her home to the royal family. Neither had seen much of each other except for Iroh's fire bending lessons, Iroh had asked to be the children's teacher since master Pyshow was a horrible man, of course the Fire Lord accepted after much consideration though he did not want his son and daughter being influenced by his older brother so their lessons were watched

Tonight was the night they had all been planning, Naomi was clothed with a fire nation gown that fitted to her form perfectly, her long raven hair was tied into a bun and a fire nation headdress placed in it to compliment her dress, she was standing beside her father and sister as they waited for the ceremony to begin. "Father I must ask, why have I been assigned a new lady's maid, my new one is boring" Azula asked to pass the time

"Your last one resigned and moved back to the colonies without any warning so I had to bring a new one in"

"But father she is of mixed race, you can see the water tribe blood in her features" Naomi kept quite despite her disgust in her sisters words, she had no qualms against the other nations and her sisters words were rather rude and racist

"I know Azula but that is the only job a half breed can get in the nation" of course her father would be where Azula had gotten her opinions of the other nations from "Now be still, the ceremony is to begin" you may think that Ozai is telling his children to be quiet so he may focus on watching his son but no that is not the truth, he wants to look his best for the nation so that they may see him as a ruler who adores his children…If only that was the case

Zuko stepped out of from behind a curtain in his ceremonial clothing, it consisted of blood red pants and a black belt, a red over coat that was to be removed when fighting and of course a bare chest to show his muscles from hard work and dedication to his practices. You could practically hear the sighs and giggles of girls as they swooned over the prince, you could also practically see the smirk on Naomi face as she laughed on the inside at all those girls who would never get the chance to be with the prince. "I can't wait until the fire lord announces that I will be marrying the prince" Naomi moved her eyes over to Ai who giggled with her sister and friend "I feel sorry for all the girls who will feel heartbroken over this tonight" Ai said as she looked directly at Naomi

"And I can't wait until I get to crush that girl into dust" Azula mumbled beside Naomi

"I couldn't agree with you more but, she does have a point" Naomi said sadly, still worrying that Ozai had picked Ai to be married to Zuko

"Just wait until father makes his announcement tonight and we shall see if her point is true or not" Naomi looked over to her smirking sister, knowing that she knew something that Naomi did not

"I suppose, for now let's watch Zuko" the prince in question was showing his fire bending skills perfectly in front of his father for the first time, Naomi felt proud of him at that moment and hoped that Ozai was feeling that also

"Oh wow Zuzu is actually doing well for a change" it was weird to hear Azula compliment Zuko in a sort of sincere way

After Zuko finished his bending demonstration he moved onto his sword fighting demonstration, the prince had always been more proficient with swords then bending so it was no surprise that he showed his skills with the Dao swords perfectly. After cheers and applauds the arena quietened down and looked over at Ozai for his announcement "I am pleased with my sons progress in Fire bending and even in the art of sword mastery, he has exceeded my expectation" the Fire Lord stood from his throne and looked out amongst the crowd "Today is both my son's birthday and the day I found and adopted my daughter Naomi which we declared as her birthday, I celebrate both of their birthdays as it is both their crownings, although she does not need to show her fire bending skills or remove her clothing" there was a chorus of chuckles "Today is also the day that I am to choose who they shall marry" fear and racing heartbeats attacked the two royals, Zuko and Naomi looked at each other for a brief moment before they looked back to Ozai "As you know Naomi is not of royal blood but that does not mean that she is any less of a princess so that is why I have decided that my daughter shall marry prince Zuko so that the lineage of strong Fire benders shall flow through the royal family for years to come" the arena erupted into loud cheers that the announcement, the thought of having the prince marry the nation sweet heart was a huge boost to Ozai and the capital

Naomi looked up to her father who nodded back at her, she smiled widely and ran down the steps and over to the centre arena where the prince stood. He opened arms and allowed Naomi to run into them, she laughed happily and tightened her hold on him "You were right, you just got to have hope and faith"

"Yep and I can see a very angry Machi twin" Naomi giggled and pulled back to look at the prince "And I can also see a pair of lips touching mine" Naomi giggled again and did as he saw, her soft lips pressed against his softly, not really caring if the entire room saw or even their father "I haven't said it before so I'm going to say it now…I love you Naomi"

"I love you too Zuko" Their lips touched once more so consummate their betrothal, both thinking about their life after marriage

And what was Ozai thinking, well he was thinking of all the powerful fire benders their family shall have, and to use Zuko so that Naomi can be used to destroy the world and make Ozai the Phoenix king


	6. Chapter 6

Naomi sat on Azula's bed as she watched the younger princesses maid brush her hair "I think you should wear your crown today Azula" Naomi offered

"With all due respect my lady I am doing the princesses hair so I would like to suggest her accessories" Naomi narrowed her eyes at the maid's words

"And she is a princess so you should hold your tongue" Azula snapped, knowing full well her older sister would say nothing

"My apologize your highness" the maid hissed out

"Now do as she asks and put the crown in my hair"

"As you wish my lady" the maid bowed and headed over to the princesses jewels, she came back and placed the crown on the top knot "I am all finished my lady"

"Good, then leave" the maid bowed and left the room, stepping aside when Zuko walked in "What do you want Zuzu, don't you know that this is my room and not yours"

"Sorry Azula but I just wanted Naomi" the girl in question blushed at the look Zuko was giving her

"Ugh take her and leave you're making me ill" Azula waved her hand and looked at her reflection in the mirror, Naomi smiled and hopped off the bed to follow the prince out

"So what did you want prince Zuko?" Naomi asked as she walked beside the prince

"Does there have to be a reason for me to see you?" Zuko said with a small smile, he took Naomi's hand and took her to the tea room

"So you already had plans for tea I see" Naomi asked as she sat on the seat on the other side of the tea table

"Yes I asked a maid to do it as I walked past" he waved his hand as he brought the cup up to his lips "So I was thinking, we drink this tea, head out to the garden and walk around for a bit"

"I suppose since there is nothing else to do" she shrugged and sipped at her tea, once they had drunk two cups of tea they both stood to head out to the gardens, as they stood before the door Naomi stopped Zuko by gently grasping his arm "Hey Zuko?" she asked tiredly

"Yeah?" he asked just as tiredly

"I'm…I'm so…ti…red" her legs wobbled and gave way, her body crashed into Zuko's and they both toppled to the floor, immediately falling asleep. Two figures entered the room and picked up the two children, meeting up with another figure who had Azula in his arms.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Zuko opened his eyes and groaned at the headache he had, he looked around the place he found himself in. It was definitely not the palace, it was a dingy and mouldy cave, all dark and gloomy, he looked down and saw his arms and legs tied with ropes "Where am I?" he looked down at the floor when he heard a small groan "Azula!"

"Shut up Zuzu my head hurts" Azula pushed herself up, revealing Naomi who was still asleep "Where are we?"

"I don't know, all I know is that we were put to sleep and brought to a cave" he shuffled over to Naomi and nudged her with his knee

"Five more minutes" Naomi mumbled

"You're not at the palace Naomi"

Naomi groaned and opened her eyes to look at Zuko "Zuko? Where are we?"

"In a cave, I think someone put something in our tea" he looked back to Azula "How did you end up here? You don't drink tea"

"I don't know, one minute I was looking at myself in the mirror and the next I woke up with a bump the size of a water tribe ship" she hissed as she touched her head

"Well well the little royals have finally woken up"

"You! You're my maid!" Azula hissed out

"I was never your maid, I am a water tribe daughter and when I give you to the earth benders I will finally have my honour back" She laughed darkly and walked away

"I knew I didn't like her" Naomi mumbled, already trying to squirm out of her bindings "How are we going to get out of here, my brain is too fuzzy to burn the ropes without burning myself or you"

"I don't know but we will find out a way" Zuko looked out to where he saw the maid leave

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

A day had passed and they still had no way of escaping, Zuko and Azula had laid down to sleep but Naomi stayed awake "Arf!" Naomi snapped her head around and looked at something she did not expect to see

"A water wolf?"

"Ah so you know about these animals?" Naomi glared at the water tribe girl

"I have read about them yes" she snapped

"My water wolf had pups when I first came here, this is the only one left out of the litter and the mother had died giving birth" she walked up to the pup and pat it's fur "His father was a fire wolf so he's of a mix race" the water woman stood back up "The earth benders shall be here tomorrow so be prepared" with that the woman left

"Arf Arf!" the water/fire wolf pawed over and licked Naomi's face

"He he you're a sweetie" she sighed and nuzzled his face "You're a bit like me aren't you? Different from everyone else" the wolf barked softly and licked her face again "Hey boy, do you think you could perhaps burn my ropes" she lifted her hands up to the dog who looked at her curiously

"Woof" the dog barked and crawled into her lap, making the girl sigh

"Of course not"

"What are you blabbering about I'm trying to sleep" Azula muttered angrily, stopping when she saw the dog "What is that mutt doing here"

"It's a water and fire wolf"

"Oh you mean those animals that could bend?" Zuko asked as he too woke up

"Yep, isn't he cute" she giggled as the wolf yipped happily and licked her jaw, Azula snorted and looked away and Zuko frowned

"I feel like I am being replaced by a dog" he muttered, earning a giggle from Naomi who leant over and kissed him on the cheek

"I don't think anyone could replace you Zuko" he smiled and kissed her on the lips

"Could you both stop I'm right here" Naomi giggled and Zuko laughed at Azula's angry expression "Besides we need to be focusing on how to break out"

"You know I have been thinking of that actually" the two siblings face Naomi "We are fire benders or have you forgotten, we can use our fire breath to burn the ropes"

"But aren't the earth benders coming soon, we won't be able to fight against skilled earth benders!" Zuko yelled

"Oh really because I see three exceptionally skilled benders that are better than any benders I have seen before" Naomi smiled and breathed on her ropes, being careful not to burn her hands, she used a little bit of strength to break the ropes and began burning Zuko's and Azula's hand ropes, when she finished she began to burn her ropes around her feet "We need to get out of here" she stood from her the ground and flexed her muscles "I may not like violence but I will fight to make sure we get out" the other two nodded and ran alongside her

"Woof!"

"You're coming too boy?" Naomi asked, earning a happy bark from the wolf

"Stop right there!" the trio froze and turned around to see the water tribe woman with two earth benders

"Oh sweet we are evenly matched" Azula smirked and brought her hands out into a battle stance

"We are hardly matched girl!" the earth bender immediately attacked, sending rocks after rocks at the kids, the water tribe woman attacked Naomi

"You will not escape girl!" the woman snapped as she sent a wave of water at the girl who blocked it and sent blue flames at her

"You can try to stop me!" she rolled to the side and kicked a flame at the woman

"AHHH!" Naomi froze when she saw Zuko go flying

"Zuko!" she screamed as she ran towards her fiancé "Are you ok?" he didn't respond, Azula came to their side

"Give up children, you are no match for three highly skilled benders" the woman smirked

Naomi narrowed her eyes and stood from beside Zuko, she could feel raw power surging through her "you will never HURT THEM AGAIN!" she screamed and a large amount of fire shot from her body, her ears grew and blue flame wings sprouted from her back, flame after flame shot from her body, pinning the benders behind it "NOW LEAVE AND NEVER RETURN!" with another burst of flame the benders were flown from the cave, scampering away in fear. Naomi panted heavily in anger, feeling the flames on the outside and on the inside within her heart

"Naomi?" the raven turned around and looked at Zuko in shock, the flame disappeared and she collapsed into his arms

"W-what am i?" she whispered as she closed her eyes and allowed tears to fall down her cheeks

"Just carry her so we can get out of here" Azula turned around and walked out of the cave, determined to ask her father what her older sister was

"Come on Naomi climb on my back" Naomi nodded and did as she was told, the boy pulled her up onto his back and walked out

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

They walked through forest until they reached a town "We should be close to the palace by now, this is the Capital"

"How do you know?" Naomi spoke softly from Zuko's back

"Because I've travelled through here loads of times" he replied

"Oh I've never left the palace so I didn't know"

"It's alright, perhaps father will let you leave now that you have proven that you can handle yourself" Naomi smiled at the thought of being able to see the world

"I'd like that, I have always wanted to see the ocean, and to see the sky beyond the walls of the palace" she sighed dreamily

"I'll promise you that you will be able to see that one day"

"I'm going to hold you to that" she felt him nod

"Look we are at the palace gate" Azula pointed happily

"Who goes there!" a guard spoke from the sentry tower

"Who do you think it is you buffoon!" Azula snapped

"It's the Princess" then he noticed the other two royals "And prince Zuko and Princess Naomi! Call Fire lord Ozai and tell him that his children have returned!" he called to the other guards who opened the gate and ran off to tell the king

Servants were already at the door and guided them to a room where they could all sleep together so it was easier to monitor them "Has the fire lord been informed?" one of the servants asked another

"Yes he will be coming here to ask them what had happened"

"But we should let them rest!" a maid defended

"Princess Naomi is awake so she may tell the lord whilst the other two sleep"

"Shh here he comes!" the door was opened and the fire lord strode in

"Where are my children?" he asked angrily

"Prince Zuko and Princess Azula are asleep but Princess Naomi is awake" Ozai nodded and headed into the room where Naomi lay awake

"Father!" she cheered happily

"Tell me where all of you left, you were gone for three days" he spoke sternly

"Azula's maid was in fact a water tribe woman who kidnapped us and wanted to sell us to earth benders, we defended ourselves and escaped" Ozai looked at his adopted daughter for a moment before speaking

"What are you hiding from me?"

"I-I don't know, I just felt so angry and I exploded and fire just shot out of me and there was so much" she looked up to her father sadly "What am I father, how can I fire bend such strong fire at such a young age" Ozai frowned

"I do not know Naomi" he lied, knowing full well what she is "Now go to sleep, there is a war meeting in two days and you all need your rest because you three and joining" Naomi nodded and watched her father leave

"Who was that?" Zuko asked sleepily

"It was father, he just wanted to know what happened and I told him" she turned back to Zuko and lied down beside him "He told us to rest and that we are joining a war meeting in two days" Zuko nodded and closed his eyes

"You were amazing back at the cave by the way Naomi"

"You really think so?" she asked

"Yes, I told you that you were a skilled fire bender" Naomi smiled and kissed Zuko on the lips

"Thank you Zuko"

"You're welcome Naomi"


	7. Chapter 7

**ello. i have to let everyone know that yes they had sex at 13 but it was only implied and i will not write it out. Life in those times were different and most girls at 12 get married and have children at that age so its not terrible just forbidden if you are not married. its skips straight to them being 16 when the series starts so sex wont be a bad thing as both are of legal age. just wanted to clear th at up as peolple are alarmed**

 **please enjoy**

* * *

Two days have passed since the kidnapping, nothing had really happened and everything was the same once again. Naomi was heading to the war meeting when she heard Zuko "But uncle, if I'm going to rule this nation then shouldn't I get some hands on experience" he could be persuasive when he needed to be

"I see your point"

"What point?" Naomi interrupted, the two turned around and smiled, the younger of the royals going up to her and kissing her on the cheek

"I was just telling uncle that I should go in the war meeting" was the prince's reply

"I agree and father did say that we were to attend" Iroh rubbed his beard then sighed

"I suppose you are right, well follow me then" the two royal teens smiled to each other then followed their uncle, they said nothing after they entered the war room and walked up to their seats, letting the others know that they could start

It was the usual in a war meeting, battle plans and information from the battle field. "We should send in the smaller ships first to be sacrificed for the commander ships to come in from the side" the general spoke "Use them as a distraction"

"You can't sacrifice them!" Zuko yelled as he stood from the floor "These soldiers defend and love this nation"

"How dare you speak to me this way! You have no right!" the general stood aswell, the tension was thick in the air

"Prince Zuko you know the consequences of speaking out of term and disrespecting this meeting" Ozai strong and commanding voice spoke from behind the protection of his flames, the very flames that install fear in the hearts who look upon them

"Yes father" Zuko was afraid but he would not back down, not when his beloved was beside him

"Agni Kai" the words slithered out of the generals lips like venom from a snake, Naomi shivered at his tone

"I accept" with that Zuko left the room followed but Iroh, neither dared to speak for fear of the anger that radiated from Ozai turn on them

* * *

Zuko was sitting in his room when the door was slammed open, he went to smile at the person that entered that smile turned to shock when the persons hand connected with his face "Naomi?"

"What idiotic thoughts went through your head when you accepted that Agni Kai!" she screamed at him, her fear fuelling her anger "Do you know how dangerous that is! The general has been fire bending for many years and yet you didn't stop and think that did you!" she screamed at him, her body was trembling as tears fell down her face, she didn't want to see Zuko in an Agni Kai

"I-I'm sorry Naomi I was just wanting to prove myself to both you and father" she froze and look up at him "You are an amazing bender who was born with amazing powers and I could never compare, I want to prove to you that I can protect you and that I can be the fire lord that father wants me to be" Naomi shook her hand and brought her hands to either side of his face

"You never have to prove anything to me Zuko, I love you no matter how you act and no matter who you are, you will always be the boy I feel in love with the moment I laid my eyes on you" she pulled his face down and pressed her lips against his, his arms automatically wrapped around her waist and her arms moved to his neck "And I _know_ that you will be an amazing fore lord because you have compassion and love for this nation and that's what it needs"

"You don't know how much that means to me Naomi" his lips were on hers once more "I love you" Naomi gasped when she was pushed onto his bed and felt his body press against hers

"Z-Zuko" she stuttered, feeling her pleasure spike

"I don't know what will happen tomorrow and I don't particularly want to think about it right now"

"…what do you want to think about then?" she spoke softly, almost breathlessly as she felt his body shiver against hers

"You, I want to think about you and only you…" you placed his head gently against hers "I want to become one with you" she gasped and stared into his beautiful golden eyes, she smile and gave him a small nod, not trusting her words as she felt him grind his hips against hers. Zuko's eyes lit up and his lips smashed against hers in a searing, passion filled kiss, showing all the love and passion he felt for her. Nothing compared to the feelings she felt when his lips pressed against hers, her body felt like it was on fire, wherever his hands went he left a feeling of heat and pleasure. The princess spent the night in her lovers embrace, giving herself to him completely so she could show him the love she felt for him. It was a night that neither would ever forget.

* * *

Naomi woke from her dream filled sleep and smiled as she remembered what transpired between her and Zuko, she felt sore yes but it was well worth it. She sighed and snuggled closer into the princes arms, feeling the warmth radiate around her "I know your awake" she smiled when she heard Zuko's voice

"Yeah but I don't want to move yet" she whined softly as she tried to get as close to the prince as possible, earning herself a chuckle from said prince

"Eventually we will have to, if someone finds us then we will be in trouble" she looked into Zuko's golden eyes and smiled

"But we always sleep together"

"But we have never sleep naked or done the things we did last night" she immediately blushed, remembering the sounds they made as they made love "Don't tell me your embarrassed"

"No just…remembering I suppose" she mumbled into his chest

"As wonderful as holding you is I need to get up" Naomi frowned as she realised the reason why

"Yeah I guess you do" she mumbled sadly, not looking at the prince who headed off to get changed

"I know you don't like this but I don't have a choice" she nodded and stood from the bed, getting changed aswell, once she was changed she walked back over to the prince and grabbed his hand

"Just promise me you will be careful out there" he nodded silently and kissed her soft lips

"Come on we should get going" she nodded and followed him out, not wanting to let go of him hand for as long as she could. Zuko allowed this small comfort, knowing she needed it and honestly he needed it too, he had a bad feeling gnawing at him.

"There you are prince Zuko" Iroh came to their side "It is time" he spoke sadly, Zuko nodded and turned back to Naomi

"No matter what happens remember that I will always be proud of you" she brought her lips to his like she had done many time, once they parted she sighed and headed off to the seats were she would watch.

"There you are" Azula drawled, not even bothering to hide her excitement "Where were you"

"Wishing Zuko good luck" Azula snorted

"He'll need it" Naomi was confused, knowing that Azula knew something

Iroh came to her side and patted her shoulder, she gave him a small smile and turned back to the arena. She tensed when she saw Zuko enter but she kept her smile, knowing that Zuko will need it. She knew she felt worried but she also knew that Zuko could take down the general if he set his mind to it…what she didn't know was that it wasn't the general that he was facing but in fact it was his own father. She gasped in horror as she watched Zuko plead with his father that he was sorry, she felt helpless as she watched the prince collapse to his knees and beg his father. "AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"NO LET ME GO IROH!" she screamed as she was being held back by Iroh, tears were running down her face as she watched Zuko scream in pain "ZUKO!ZUKOOOOO!" managing to slip her arms out of his grasp, she jumped from her seat and ran across the arena when she saw Ozai bring out a fire whip. Just as he was bringing it down Naomi ran in front of Zuko and brought her hand up to stop it from touching her face, immediately screaming when she felt the flames wrap around her arm multiple times like a coil, it wrapped around her from her wrist and all the way to her elbow.

Ozai immediately pulled away when he saw who had deflected it, anger taking over "How dare you intervene!" he roared at her

"I cannot sit back and watch as you burn you only son!" she hissed out between clenched fist, she could feel her vision blurring from the pain "Please leave him" she whispered before she collapsed beside Zuko, shock had taken over her body as the pain became too much. Zuko's burns was severe but it wasn't as intense as Naomi's, hers almost seared all her flesh off until it was just the bone.

Ozai huffed, knowing that he couldn't hurt Naomi because his plans would fall to ruin…he knew what he must do to make sure Naomi never lost her loyalty to him, even if it costed him his only son. "Get the healers and tend to my children" with those words he left and a team of healers came in along with Iroh, he grabbed Naomi into his arms and forced himself not to gag at the smell of burnt flesh and blood. He knew that she needed to be tended to or she would die, but Zuko needed to be healed aswell. They were put on two beds beside each other as all the healers in capital city worked on keeping the two royals alive.

* * *

Zuko woke from his forced sleep and hissed from the pain he felt, he brought a hand up and touch the gauze that was around the half burnt side of his face. He remembered everything, the anger in his father's eyes, the pain from when his father had burnt him and of course Naomi's screams

 _NO LET ME GO IROH!"_

 _ZUKO!ZUKOOOOO!"_ after that his world went black

"Thank the gods you are awake" Zuko jerked his head around to face the voice "Don't worry it's just me" he relaxed when he looked into his uncles eyes "I am sorry this has happened prince Zuko"

"What are you talking about?" he knew that his uncle wasn't talking just about the Agni Kai

"It's Naomi" he froze "After seeing you get burnt she ran into the arena and stopped the attack that would have killed you" he pointed to where Naomi lied, Zuko gasped as he saw her lying on the bed breathing slowly…too slow. She had the same thing he had on his face wrapped around her arm but it wasn't enough to stop the bleeding "She is fine now but we lost her for a moment…she stopped breathing but we were lucky to bring her back"

"Why did this have to happen uncle…why did father do this?"

"My brother was blinded by his rage to not see what he was doing, I am sure that he will regret his actions" he lied, knowing that his brother would never regret his actions

"Z-Zuko?" Naomi whispered, her eyes fluttering open. The prince immediately jumped from his bed and headed to his side

"I'm here Naomi"

"I'm sorry I didn't stop this…I could have stop him from-" she couldn't finish, tears were coming down her face as she looked at his bandaged face

"It's not your fault Naomi" she tried to move her left arm but she was to weak, seeing this Zuko grabbed it and placed it on his uninjured side

"Just know that I…love you no matter what Zuko" the prince narrowed his eyes

"How could you, I am mutilated" he looked away and dropped her hand "How could you love someone like me"

"Do you remember what I told you last night" he looked back at her "I said I would love you no matter how you act and no matter who you are, you will always be the boy I feel in love with the moment I laid my eyes on you" she gave him a tired smile. Zuko sighed, hearing the sincerity to those words "That will never change"

"Prince Zuko, Princess Naomi you both need to rest, when you both wake I will tell you what I have heard from my brother" Zuko nodded and watched Iroh leave

"Can you stay with me please" Zuko nodded to Naomi and crawled onto the bed next to Naomi, he knew that she couldn't move her arm so he merely wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to his chest "Thank you…" she mumbled as she passed out, too tired to keep her eyes open for any longer. Zuko stared into her face with saddened eyes, he never wanted to see Naomi like this ever again. Seeing her in more pain than he was in had broken his heart, once more she protected him.

"I will always protect you Naomi…I love you" he kissed her lips softly and laid his head on the pillow, willing himself to fall asleep

* * *

The two teens stared at their uncle in shock, Naomi's heart was breaking "You mean…you have to leave until you find the Avatar" she whispered

"Yes that is one way of putting it" Iroh said as calmly as possible

"The other way is my father is banishing me until I can find someone who probably isn't alive" Zuko huffed angrily

"But I want to go with you!" Naomi shouted as she stood from her chair

"No Naomi" Iroh said sternly "Your father has stated clearly that you are to remain here and train to become stronger" Naomi sighed and allowed Zuko to pulled her down to her seat "I know this is hard for you but you must understand how dangerous it would be for you to travel"

"I know uncle I just…it could take years to find the avatar" she grabbed Zuko's hand and held onto it for dear life, her other arm wrapped in linen cloth, she could move her arm but it caused her great pain

"I know Naomi but we will return one day"

"I will hold you to that" she replied as she looked at Iroh "So when are you to leave"

"We are to leave by today" she gasped at Iroh

"But I haven't had enough time to say goodbye" Iroh chuckled at that

"You have had plenty of time to say goodbye Naomi"

"Well I suppose I should leave you to pack, I will be in my room if you need me" Naomi's hand slipped from Zuko's as she left the room, the real reason she was leaving was because she didn't want Zuko to see her cry any more than she already has. Zuko sighed sadly and looked over to Iroh

"You know she won't handle us leaving very well" they both knew that she only handled the royal life because both Zuko and Iroh was there to relieve the stress and make her smile, who knew how she would handle it

"I know prince Zuko but I believe that she will be strong" Zuko sighed knowing his uncle was right "For now why don't we get packed" with a nod they both got ready

* * *

Zuko was standing at the docks with his uncle, his crew and of course Naomi "Please be careful you two"

"We'll be fine princess Naomi" Iroh replied calmly, the general looked to Zuko with a nod and headed down tot eh boat

"Remember to practice your bending so you can beat the Avatar"

"I will, and I will come back for you" he gave her a small smile "I have something for you to remember me by" she looked at him curiously, he grabbed her shoulders and turned her around "This was something I was going to give to you when the time was right but I suppose now should be the time" Naomi felt a piece of material around her neck, she gasped and looked down at the red necklace and golden pendant with a fire nation emblem on it

"Zuko?" she looked at him with shock and happiness

"I may be gone but you are always my fiancé" she touched her betrothal necklace tenderly

"Thank you Zuko" she gave him the sweetest smile she could, she stood and watched him walk towards the boat, hoping he would turn around. Zuko stopped and turned as she had hoped to look at Naomi for what he thought was for the last time, without thinking the two teens ran for each other and wrapped their arms around each other in a tight embrace "I love you…So SO much" she sobbed in his ear, he pulled back and pressed his lips against hers with the same passion and intensity he did when they made love, Naomi had tears down her eyes but she kissed him back as passionately as she could "Please come back to me Zuko"

"I will Naomi" as they parted they both realised they nothing would ever be the same again, the next time they would meet they would be two different people who have been affected by the fire nation more than anyone has ever been


	8. Chapter 8

Three years had passed since Zuko was exiled, three years since he had last seen Naomi. "Prince Zuko there is an earth kingdom ship not far from here" one of the crew members spoke from outside the prince's door

"And why are you telling me this" he snapped

"Well we wouldn't have worried about it but the crew saw blue flames shooting from the deck sir" that made Zuko jump from his bed, there were only two people he knew in the entire world who could manipulate the blue flames

The prince threw open his door and stormed straight past the crewmen, he stormed straight onto the deck and looked at the earth kingdom ship "Bring us closer, we are boarding the ship" he shouted at nothing, knowing that someone would do as he asked

"Prince Zuko"

"Uncle" was his reply "Be ready" the ship was close enough to dock and Zuko immediately jumped on the deck, both his uncle and the prince himself jumped out the way when a blue ball of flames shot towards them

"Oh gosh this is fun ha" a girls voice erupted from the other side of the boat, it was at that moment that the world froze for the prince and his uncle. Zuko looked up from the metal of the deck towards the girl's voice, there she was in all her glory. Her long raven hair swished as she dodged a boulder shot by an earth bender "That almost hit me" her soft alluring voice was like music to the princes ears "I do not want to kill you but I will if necessary" her voice dropped to a deadly tone, her crimson eyes narrowing with intensity and determination

"Stand still bitch and we won't crush you" an earth kingdom guard hissed, throwing another boulder, she brought her hand out and punched the boulder, hissing when it split her hand open

"Naomi!" the raven froze and looked over to wear she heard a boys voice

"Zuko!?" she yelled in shock as she dodged another boulder "You wanna help or will I do this by myself"

"Capture the princess and the others!" the other kingdom soldiers nodded to their superior and charged to attack

"I told you to stand down but you leave me no choice!" with a roar she shot her hand out and a large wall of blue flames shot forth, knocking the soldiers back and destroying their walls of earth, running towards the group and ignoring the screams from her uncle and Zuko she shot into the sky blasted them one last time. Once they were passed out or dead she turned back to her family "Long time no see-eeek!" she squealed when General Iroh pulled her into his arms

"You do not know how long I have waited to see you again Naomi" the princess sighed and nuzzled into Iroh's neck, happy that she could find some comfort that she was reunited with her family

"I have missed you uncle" she whispered

"As have I little phoenix" he whispered back, she pushed him away gently and turned to Zuko

"Hi" was the princes small reply, not knowing what to say

"Hey" she spoke softly, it would have been a sweet moment had an earth kingdom soldier not attacked them "Watch out!" she screamed and raised a wall of flames to block the boulder and shoot flames back

It would have been scary if the flames were not purple, both royals stared at the flames in shock "How is she-"

"I do not know Prince Zuko" they continued to stand still until the flames disappeared

"You ahh…that was not supposed to happen" she sighed and lowered her arms, looking away from her family

"How in the world did you shoot purple flames!" Zuko cried in shock

"I do not understand that myself" she looked at her uncle so he would explain further

"The violet flames are the most purest and strongest of all flames, but they are also the most dangerous since they are difficult to bring forth or control, they normally end in the benders death" he rubbed his beard "I do not know how you were able to bend this fire without any consequences"

"Believe me there were consequences" she mumbled, not noticing that Zuko heard that and frowned "Anyway do I have permission to walk on your ship, I don't really want to stay on this ship anymore" Zuko broke out of his daze and nodded, Naomi smiled and followed him onto his ship

"I must ask, why were you on that ship" Uncle Iroh asked "You should be at the palace"

"Well father sent me out to travel but unfortunately for me I got captured and then you found me" she shrugged as she continued to follow the two royals to the hull

"Father sent you out of the capital" Zuko stated in shock, knowing full well that Father wouldn't even let her outside the castle "That is impossible"

"Well he did" she stated but that was only half true "I left my fleet to explore on my own"

"You know my brother will be angry that you left the protection of his army" Iroh spoke as he opened the door and motioned her to sit at the table as he headed off somewhere. Naomi and Zuko sat alone at the table, no one else was in the hull and Iroh had left to make tea

"So how-"

"How have-" they spoke at the same time, Naomi giggling and Zuko frowning "You go first" Naomi nodded and continued

"I was going to ask how you've been"

"Ok I suppose" he mumbled, not knowing anything else to say, he hasn't been doing well at all, he hasn't found any trace of the Avatar and he hadn't seen Naomi for three bloody years, they both have changed and perhaps their feelings for each other have faded-no, Zuko had never stopped loving Naomi, he wanted to find the Avatar so he could return to the fire nation, regain his honour and marry Naomi like he had always wanted…but did she, did she still love him like he did, did she want to marry him like he did. "How have you been?"

"I have been doing well, father became rather angry since you left, I had to train nearly an entire day and would be scolded if I failed just like Azula did" he winced slightly "I was forced to join the army and burn colonies to the ground and burn all who defied me" she sighed and straightened her posture "I suppose life wasn't that bad, I got to leave the safety of the palace and I finally got to explore the world and cross the seas like I have always wanted" she let out a dreamy sigh "I have missed you Zuko"

"Me to" he allowed a small smile to grace his lips

"To be honest with you, just thinking that one day I could see you and Uncle again got me through the gruelling training and take overs of colonies"

"I could say the same for myself aswell, I would have given up on finding the avatar had you not been my motivation" she gave him a sweet smile at his declaration

"That makes me all warm and tingly inside" she giggled "Anyway how has your search for the Avatar been" his small smile disappeared and a scowl replaced it "Sorry, I suppose that is a touchy subject"

"Not really it's just-I've found nothing about the whereabouts of the Avatar and it's frustrating"

"I understand that, well I guess I should tag along and help you then" Zuko was about to answer but his uncle came in with a tray of tea

"I brought your favourite Naomi"

"Jasmine tea?" Iroh nodded and Naomi smiled "Thank you" she grabbed a steaming cup and brought it to her lips, sighing when the warm feeling spread through her "Spirits how I have missed the taste of tea"

"How long were you on that ship for" Iroh asked innocently

"About a week or two" she brought her cup back up to her lips and took a large sip "I kind of lost count"

"I understand" Iroh nodded and drank his tea, Zuko was staring at Naomi's hand that was holding her cup. He was confused, she had punched a rock meaning her knuckles should be opened and bleeding profusely…but there weren't any wounds, there were no cuts or bruises, just tanned, flawless skin

They sat at the table for another hour or so until they had needed to retire, Iroh and Zuko took Naomi to her room right beside Zuko's room before retiring to their own. Zuko could not sleep, his mind was plagued with the events that had happened today, reuniting with Naomi was the greatest thing that had happened in the three years he has been on the sea, but she was different, she was not that sweet little girl that he had once fallen in love with, she was hardened by battle and stoic from all the death she had witnessed though she hid it behind a cocky smirk but he could see her real feelings in her eyes . Then again, he was no different, he never smiled, only frowned, he snapped at anyone who looked at him and wanted to burn everyone who looked at his scar or even just him, he hated the world and everything in it…well except his family, he could never hate his father or his uncle or Naomi, his Naomi, his sister Azula? well that was questionable, he wasn't sure if he hated her or not but he did find her extremely annoying. He was so unsure of his life right now, would he ever return home with the Avatar in chains, would he ever become the honourable son his father wanted, would he ever get to marry the girl and claim the throne. All these things were so uncertain but there was one thing that he was certain of, he was certain that he would keep Naomi at his side as he searched for the Avatar, he would rekindle the fire they had both shared when they were younger. Naomi was _his_ and nothing would ever separate them again, not even his father.

* * *

Naomi had been travelling with Zuko and his crewman for three days and could tell how everyone was annoyed the with Prince, day in and day out it was the same thing "we must find the Avatar…Avatar, Avatar, AVATAR!" if someone tried to speak to Zuko about anything other than the Avatar than he wasn't interested. The Princess was standing beside Zuko as he ranted to his Uncle when a beam of light shot into the sky, Naomi felt raw power radiated from it, it rattled her very soul yet gave of a peaceful aura "Finally" Zuko said with narrowed eyes before turning around to look at Iroh "Uncle you realise what this means?"

"I won't get to finish my game?" replied back, looking at his nephew with tired eyes

"It means my search is about to come to an end" Iroh sighed "that light came from an incredibly powerful source" Zuko growled as he pointed at the slowly fading light that Naomi had yet to look away from "It has to be him!"

"Or it's just the celestial lights, we've been down this road before Prince Zuko" he picked up a Pai sho tile and placed it on one of the piles "I don't want you to get over excited over nothing, please sit, why don't you enjoy a nice steaming cup of Jasmine tea"

"I don't need any calming tea!" Zuko roared, his nostrils flaring "I need to capture the Avatar! Helmsmen, head a course for the light" he lowered his arm and walked back over to Naomi who stayed silent through the whole ordeal "what's wrong?" he asked sternly, still angry at his Uncle

"Those lights aren't those made from nature, it may possibly be the Avatar" Naomi spoke softly, as if in a trance

"How do you know?"

"I felt a power radiate from the light and a calming aura, no celestial lights can produce such things" she shivered slightly "it's probably the cold effecting me, making me think I feel things that aren't there" she shook her head "I think I might have a cup of tea to clear my head" she gave him a small smile and walked towards Iroh, the old man gave her a big smile and poured her a glass


End file.
